2/3/2016 – After eight of ten rounds four players with 6.5/8 each share the lead at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Etienne Bacrot, David Anton, and Pentala Harikrishna. Half a point behind follows a group of twelve players with 6.0/8 each. Among them is top seed Hikaru Nakamura who won with Black against Sergey Grigoriants.
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Play in the Tradewise Gibraltar Masters starts at 15.00 local time (GMT+1) on Tuesday 26 January 2016, with live commentary from GM Simon Williams and IM Elisabeth Paehtz throughout. There is play every subsequent day at this time until Thursday 4 February 2016, when the tenth final round starts earlier at 11.00 (GMT+1). Live coverage may be found via the official website.
After seven rounds David Anton Guijarro from Spain was sole leader, after
his draw against Chinese GM Li Chao he shares the lead with three other players.
Anton took no risks against Li Chao. In the main of the Petroff with 5.Nc3 he played very quietly but could not claim any advantage. In fact, it was Black who set the pace but without any tangible results.
Li Chao
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (left, with White) before the start of his game against Bruzon Batista.
On board two Maxime Vachier-Lagrave managed to overcome Bruzon's Berlin and on board three Pentala Harikrishna started a quiet and strong attack with an unorthodox retreat. With this win Pentala Harikrishna has 2758 points on the live-rating list and is now only one point behind Anand who drew against IM Marc Esserman from the US.
India's number two Pentala Harikrishna
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1.d49:16Nf610:202.Nf30g6183.Bf40d604.c30Nh5305.Bg50h606.Bh40g51:367.Bg30Bg7408.e41:170-014:129.Bd37:53e62:4110.Ng1!?1:48 Losing a tempo but forcing Black to
exchange on g3, which opens the h-file and allows White to start an attack a
few moves later.Nxg34:5311.hxg30c5012.dxc51:08dxc5013.Qe22:30Qc76:1514.Nh324 The knight continues its heroic
journey.Rd813:3015.f42:50Qd61:3216.Bc42:13Qe712:4417.Nf253Nc656
Diagram
18.Nd2!1:43 A quiet and impressive
move - White does not attack immediately with Ng4 but realizes that Black
cannot really repair his kingside and prevents any possible counterplay by
bringing his last undeveloped piece into the game.Na51919.Bd35:02c41:4320.Bc21:36gxf44:2521.gxf42e5022.f50b5023.Nf33:11 White's attack is easy to
play while Black has no serious counterplay.b411:1224.Ng41:58bxc3025.bxc30Rd6026.Qe32:36Rb80 Diagram
27.Nxh6+4:24Kf8028.Ng42:33Kg8029.Rb1!9:25 Harikrishna continues in style, does not rush
things but instead exchanges Black's only active piece.Rxb1+030.Bxb10Qb75431.Kf242Rb61:0432.Bc25:44Rb2233.Qg501–0
Santosh Gujrathi Vidit showed strong chess in Gibraltar
but found no recipe against Pentala Harikrishna
Vishy Anand: Draw again! English Champion David Howell follows the game unfold.
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1.e49:28c59:182.d436cxd403.c30 The Morra-Gambit! A rare guest in
Anand's games. In 1992 Michael Adams tried to surprise Anand with this gambit
and the former World Champion rejected the offered pawn to transpose into a
line of the Sicilian Alapin. Which he also does against Esserman.Nf604.e525Nd505.Nf30e606.cxd433d607.Bc457Nc6188.0-01:20Be709.Qe2420-01210.Nc34dxe51:5111.dxe59Nxc35012.bxc336
White accepts the weakening of his structure because he hopes
for an attack on the kingside.Qc71:0613.Qe42:46Rd810:0913...b6is the main move.14.Bg5Bb715.Bd3g616.Qh4Bxg517.Nxg5h518.Rae1Ne719.g414.Re121:44g615:5115.Bg53:38Bxg56:2116.Nxg50h6017.Nf32:11Qe7017...Ne718.Qf4b619.Qxh6Nf520.Qg5Bb718.h40Na58:4619.Bd35:36Bd76:0820.Nd44:27Nc65:0221.Nf31:18Na5022.Nd41:55Nc6023.Nf3Black has hardly
any choice but to agree to the repetition. White threatens to play 24.h5 which
Black wants to counter with ...Bc6. Parrying White's h5 by playing ...h5
himself is a risky gamble because Black further weakens his position and White
is still better. Apparently this was not to Anand's taste and he thus agreed
to the draw.½–½
Women's World Champion Mariya Muzychuk drew against Richard Rapport.
Norwegian Champion and GM elect Aryan Tari lost a sharp against Etienne Bacrot.
After a stumbling start Nigel Short seemed to have recovered and with three games in a row reclimbed the top ranks. However, in round eight he suffered another setback against Indian GM Lalith. Short, who was playing with Black, emerged with a difficult position from the opening and and then tried to stir up some trouble - but in vain.
Position after 49.Qc8-c6: Black has three more checks before White's king is safe.
Nigel Short: fighting spirit which was not rewarded.
A nice tactical shot could be seen in the game between Luca Lenic and Rout Padmini:
Black just played 27...Bxc4. How did White decide the game immediately?
(See solution at the end of the article)
Top seed Hikaru Nakamura, who won the tournament in 2015, kept in touch with the leaders by winning with Black against Sergey Grigoriants.
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1.Nf39:14c514:582.c42:33Nc653.Nc32:13e5204.e30Nf61:075.Be21:01d51:206.d45:20exd4347.exd44Be608.dxc5?!30:00 White takes the pawn on c5 without waiting for
Black to play ...Be7 - now Nakamura's goes directly from f8 to c5, Black saves
a tempo, and seizes the initiative.Better is8.cxd5!White gets an
isolated pawn on c3 in this line which, however, is compensated dynamically
because White is better developed and later might obtain the pair of bishops.Nxd59.0-0Be710.dxc5Nxc311.bxc3Qxd112.Rxd1Bxc513.Ng50-014.Bf4Rfe815.Nxe6Rxe616.Kf1Rae817.Bf3b618.Re1Rxe1+19.Rxe1Rxe1+20.Kxe1Ne721.Ke2Nf522.Be4Nd623.Bxd6Bxd624.g3g625.Bd5Bc526.Be4Bd627.Bd5Bc528.Be4Bd629.Bd51/2-1/2 (29) Fressinet,L
(2714)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2686) Pau 20128...dxc421:369.Qa423:08Bxc520:4310.Ng528Qb6!N19:4011.0-02:53Bd7212.Qxc416:25Ne5013.Qf4?!0 A first step in the wrong direction.13.Qb30-014.Qxb6Bxb615.Nf3=would be better if White contents himself with a draw - Black is a bit
better developed but this does not suffice to claim an advantage.13...Ng6014.Qd2?!37 Continues to go down the wrong path.
14.Qc40-015.Nge4Nxe416.Nxe4Rac817.Nxc5Rxc518.Qb3Bb5=14...Bc6!3:0215.Qc21:110-03616.Na432 White gets the pair of bishops
but Black already has a strong initiative which Nakamura uses with energetic
play.Bxa4017.Qxa40Rae83518.Qb50h62:0719.Nf30Qc71:3420.Bd21:24a62:4421.Qd30 White moves his queen for the eighth time but she still cannot be real
happy where she is now.Ne40 Diagram
22.b40 Losing a pawn but what else can White do?22.Rad1Qb622.Be3?!Nxf2!23.Bxf2Nf424.Qd1Rxe2-+22.Bd1Re723.Be3Rd824.Qc2Bxe325.Qxc7Bxf2+26.Rxf2Rxc722...Nxd24:2823.Qxd20Bxb4024.Qxb40Rxe2025.Rac10Qe7026.Qxe70Rxe70 Black is solid pawn
up and Nakamura solves the technical task without difficulties.27.a40Re43:4128.Rc70Rb8029.Ra10Nf41:4230.a50Ne61:2631.Rd70Nc5432.Rd50Rc42:5233.h41:06Rc8034.Rb135Ra43:2635.Ne515Rxa54236.Rc10Rc75937.Rc41:15b64338.h526Ne62239.Rxc715Rxd5040.Rc8+0Rd8341.Rc60Rd1+1:1342.Kh20Rd5043.Rc8+0Kh7044.Nxf70Rxh5+045.Kg30Rd5046.Rc60Ng5047.Nxh60gxh6048.Rxb60Rd600–1
Abhijeet Gupta drew in round eight against Ni Hua - in round nine he has to play against Hikaru Nakamura.
Antoaneta Stefanova lost against Dmitry Jakovenko.
Sebastien Maze and Markus Ragger played a quick and unspectacular draw.
Round nine promises to be exciting because the four top players face each other: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave plays with White against his countryman Etienne Bacrot while David Anton Guijarro plays White against Pentala Harikrishna.
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.
Marco BaldaufMarco Baldauf, born 1990, has been playing since he was eight. In 2000 and 2002 he became German Junior Champion, in 2014 he became International Master. He plays for SF Berlin in the Bundesliga.
2nd Move Anti-Sicilian Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12090 games from Mega 2025 or the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 874 are annotated.
Ruy Lopez Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12092 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 1276 are annotated.
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